1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for telecommunication, specifically interactive telecommunication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication between the user apparatus and the server is often not possible as a result of differences in the ways the apparatuses communicate.
The object of the present invention is to provide means enabling interactive communication along any chosen transmission medium between user apparatuses of various kinds and a server apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide means performing a minimum number of functions to enable communication between said user apparatus and said server apparatus.
According to the present invention a system is provided, characterized in that said coupling means comprise means for controlling said user apparatus based on information from said server apparatus and for controlling said server apparatus based on information from said user apparatus; and means for creating and for performing communication with said server apparatus and said user apparatus.
Furthermore, said system according to the present invention is characterized in that said coupling means comprise a Set-Top Unit (Set-Top Unit) and a physical medium converter, in that the means for controlling said user apparatus are present in said Set-Top Unit and comprise mainly a program for a dynamic process down-loaded from said server apparatus and stored in a RAM memory and in that means for creating communicating is a program for a static process stored in a ROM memory of the Set-Top Unit.
As a result of the above-mentioned characteristic properties of the system according to the invention, adjustment is achieved on two levels, namely adjustment of said Set-Top Unit to said transmission medium by said physical medium converter and adjustment of the communication between said Set-Top Unit and said server apparatus by programs in said Set-Top Unit originating from said server apparatus.
According to the present invention, a lign-up of Set-Top Units can be developed as commercial products. Also, in order to promote the development of interactive digital audio-video services, Set-Top Unit manufacturers will be left as free as possible to compete in the supply of these Set-Top Units. Therefore, only a minimal set of functionalities is defined in order to be incorporated in a standard. This set can be viewed as a xe2x80x9csmart gatewayxe2x80x9d to interactive digital audio-video services.